My LASIK Story

Me, Father, and Brothers

Life Before LASIKLife was pretty good before I had LASIK. I was really starting to enjoy living closer to the city (we say ITP in Atlanta). Activities included performing at blues clubs on a weekly basis and was dating regularly in hopes of finding a nice girl to start a family. I was becoming increasingly annoyed with my glasses (fogging and falling off my bald head). Getting a LASIK procedure seemed like a good option. My eyes were in perfect health except for a moderate astigmatism.

My mother offered to pay half of the procedure as a birthday gift. My friend Steven gave me three doctor names (he had worked with them) and I started researching online reviews and websites.

Selecting a LASIK Surgeon & Going For it

Dr. X's office staff were very nice. He had stellar online reviews and his office was very close to my work and home. His team took a lot of time to explain how the surgery works, measuring my cornea health and calculating my eye prescription (I believe this process is called Refraction). The doctor quoted a price of $4,800 for both eyes and gave me his email address stating, "Feel free to email me with questions or let me know if we are doing anything to prevent you from having the surgery."

The doctor offered bladeless LASIK procedure with best distance vision. We did not discuss PRK or EpiLasik (It's my understanding that these methods minimize dry eye risks). He did not perform any tests to measure the health of my tear glands or tear production (I was not aware of these tests until after I had the procedure).

​The office staff had me sign the agreement and waivers on the day of the procedure. Thinking back now, this is not a good time to sign. You're nervous as hell about doing the surgery and you have to read 3 pages of scary side effects. I was very anxious and pelted the doctor with questions before signing. I looked at him and said, "I'm very freaked out about the risks or potential side effects of having this surgery. What is the worst that can happen? What are the risks Doctor?"

With confidence, the Doctor said, "There are none. Maybe a little dry eye."

This doctor was very confident (bordering on arrogant), but that made me feel safe. He told me about his own fears of having the procedure done himself. I signed the paperwork and opted to have the procedure. My mother was a witness and drove me home. His staff gave me a Valium and put several numbing drops in my eyes. The procedure took about 20 minutes and I returned home with goggles and eye drops. My eyes were very irritated and I could not keep them open. The next day, the doctor and his staff looked me over gave me instructions for the next 7 days. I had 20/20 vision for the first time since childhood. I was thrilled. I still have 20/20 vision on most days, but the dryness can make your vision blurry. Be assured there isn't a day that I wouldn't like reverse it. This cannot be done once your have LASIK. All side effects can be permanent, although the vision correction may need to be redone in several years.

What Happened? The Next 2 Years...

Throwing the Kitchen Sink at it...

I had 25 visits with this LASIK surgeon and could find no lasting relief. This doctor continually added medications and therapies, but nothing helped. What really upset me about this process is that he started to become more abrupt with me and repeatedly blamed my other medications. To be clear: I was on "drying" medications prior to surgery and I never thought about my eyes. No documented dry eye issues prior to surgery. I tried quitting all medications he cited and this did not help.

Not once did this Doctor use any of the tear diagnostic tests mentioned above (Schirmer, Break Up Test, LipiView, Blinking Tests) to assess my condition.

His office also tried to charge me office co-pays from the beginning (I escalated and they agreed to stop charging me). I had to pay for all therapies including very expensive Autologous Serum Drops ($200 every 60 days). Click HERE to see my out of pocket costs so far. Ask your LASIK doctor about aftercare procedures and out of pocket costs. They mentioned very little about this and it has far exceed the cost of having the surgery. My friend worked for a LASIK surgeon in Chicago for several years and was very surprised to hear this Doctor did not perform any tear production pre-screening and even more disturbed to hear that I was being charged for all of the therapies. It's with his help and guidance that I started to stand up to this Doctor and start investigating other physicians.

Regina Pizza, Boston North End

There were times I also struggled with depression. People scratch their heads when they hear that, but this condition is serious. It controls your life every hour of every day. The picture on my website was an attempt illustrate this: My Dry Eye makes me a prisoner wherever I go. I can't escape it.

I began to confront this doctor about his promises in our initial consultation. Remember he said, "There are no risks. Maybe a little dry eye." He never answered when I reminded him. He never addressed my questions. He was never able to diagnose the problem . He would not answer my questions about the long-term diagnosis. Silence. Avoidance. More frustration on my part.

Never did this Doctor offer to refer me another physician in his group (until after I threatened to take further measures). I started to ask about a Lipiflow procedure in June (dry eye treatment therapy). He repeatedly refused to consider it, saying my Meibomian Glands are fine (my current doctor diagnosed me with severe MGD).

My last appointments with this doctor were in August '16. My good friend (that worked for a Chicago LASIK doctor) attended the second to last visit. I asked him to come with me because the Doctor often made me feel intimidated and dismissed my concerns. Dr. X would look at my eyes and say, "They are looking much better. You are winning the battle." But that wasn't the truth. I'm wasn't winning anything. Being miserable everyday is not winning.

Prior to the August appointment, I traveled to Boston to see my family. My brother bought a new house and I was going to spend time with him and help paint his house in preparation for his new baby. My plan was also to spend one night in Boston (my favorite city).

This trip made my eyes even worse. It was my first visit to the Museum of Fine Arts and I could barely stay for an hour. I was inconsolable. I emailed him, demanding a formal treatment plan. I was desperate for relief.

On the 2nd to last appointment, my friend recorded the visit. The Doctor was in rare form. He was impatient. Combative. He was clearly angry with me since receiving my email. At one point he said,

"There is no point bitching about it. We just have to move on and deal with it."​

I felt very dismissed in the visit. He continued blaming my medicines (at this point I was off all of them, but one). The Doctor did not take my concerns seriously:

I asked him about traveling to see my family and how this seems to exacerbate my symptoms. He said, "Don't travel," and left the room. I begged his assistant for help. Pleading with her to get him to reconsider my case. I told her that I would often come home and sit in front of the humidifier and yell. She told me she would talk to him and ask him for more treatment options. She also said I could seek a second opinion.

What really bothers me is that this medical practice was not offering much in the way of medication or aggressive therapies. I had to ask for Restasis, Xiidra, Steroid treatments, upper tear duct plugs, and Lipiflow. These therapies are helping me the most. I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming your own health advocate. Learn about your condition and the newest treatments available. Don't assume your Doctor is on the cutting edge.

​I stopped seeing this doctor in September, 2016. He terminated me from his practice in October '16 when I published this website. I've never revealed the name of this doctor publicly. I'm using this website to warn others about the dangers of having LASIK surgery.

Getting Second Look From a Great Doctor

I sought another opinion from a highly revered Doctor in Atlanta (he's quoted in many journals and has 30+ years experience). I'm so grateful to have found him. He was very kind and performed several tests. He didn't tell me what my symptoms were or how my condition was doing. He asked! He listened. At one point, he pulled a jeweler's loop from an aged leather case to examine my eyes. I asked him how long he had been using it. He smiled. It was older than me.

He did a double-take when he saw my Meiobian Glands. 20 months of seeing my LASIK surgeon and he never diagnosed this very critical issue (these glands secrete oil to prevent your tears from evaporating). Testing included:

Diagnosis: Tear production is fine. My glands are severely dysfunctional (my films showed a big black spot in my right eye). It's likely I had the beginning stages of MGD before LASIK and was not showing any symptoms. The surgery exacerbated it. He also discussed issues with the Mucous–from the goblet cells deep inside the eyelid, which coat the surface of the cornea. Last, he mentioned issues with LASIK procedure, the laser or blade cuts the corneal nerves and they don't always regenerate--impacting tear health and production (this is called Allodynia). I'm not an expert. Please bear this in mind.

However, I did hear one really loud, banging truth: LASIK can wreak havoc on your tear production. I was not a good candidate for the procedure.

My new Doctor also said nothing about my medications creating the dryness issues (which was the repeated assertion of my LASIK surgeon). In a recent follow up, a nurse at his office said PRK would have been a better option (my surgeon did not offer this). His Recommendations: Azasite Drops, a Z pack, Allergy drops (Zaditor), Hot Compresses with pressure, and Lipiflow.

Difficulty focusing my eyes on computer screen or any task for long periods of time

Inability to focus on enjoyable tasks for a long time (games, painting, arts, hobby working)

Eye dryness and pain worsen in the winter with dry climate and HVAC

Eyes are bloodshot/red every day

I cannot see in the morning; eye lids are often stuck together

According to Dr. Wexler (original FDA approver and now whistle blower), 20% of LASIK patients experience some kind of permanent side effect as a result of having the surgery. This could include halos, eye pain, difficulty seeing at night and of course eye dryness. I'm working with a local Atlanta doctor and she said that 50% of her dry eye patients had LASIK.

Learn from my story. Arm yourself with the facts. Demand the proper screening.

EpilogueLife is finally getting back to normal after 2+ years of battling this condition. It took trying a lot of things, patience, and finding the right doctor. Dry eye is no longer a daily visitor and I've learned to manage the symptoms. I'm at about 90% and I'll take it! Ongoing recovery requires a daily regimen and attention. But it's manageable.

A lot of my readers asked aout lawsuits and what happened with this doctor. I did explore my options regarding medical malpractice. Unfortunately, Georgia has very unfavorable laws concerning lawsuits regarding informed consent. Most attorneys said: This doctor was dishonest about disclosing potential risks. He committed malpractice, but Georgia legislation recently changed to disallow lawsuits for informed consent if the patient was not under anesthesia. My LASIK was performed with local anesthetic and so I have no legal case. I decided to move on with my life and devote my resources to getting well and helping others. Hopefully you can avoid the same fate or use this sight to find recovery!